Flavio Briatore has launched a fierce attack on the FIA's appeal process after Pierre Gasly was stripped of his Monaco Grand Prix podium for a second time, accusing one of the judges involved of having links to McLaren.
The extraordinary confrontation unfolded at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on Friday, just hours after the FIA confirmed that Gasly's two five-second penalties from Monaco had been reinstated.
Alpine accepts the ruling itself, but Briatore has questioned the independence of the panel that delivered it.
Gasly's Monaco Podium Disappears Again
Gasly originally finished third at Monaco on June 7.
However, the Frenchman was given two five-second penalties for exceeding the pit-lane speed limit, dropping him to seventh in the classification.
Alpine subsequently appealed after identifying an error in the pit-lane measurement system. The original penalties were rescinded by the stewards, restoring Gasly to third and changing the championship standings.
McLaren and Red Bull then appealed that decision to the FIA International Court of Appeal.
The court has now ruled in their favour, meaning Gasly's original penalties stand and his podium has once again disappeared.
Isack Hadjar has therefore been restored to third, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri moves into fourth.
Briatore Questions Judge's Independence
Rather than simply accepting the controversy surrounding the result, Briatore used the official Monza press conference to raise questions about one of the four judges on the appeal panel.
He specifically named Filippo Marchino and claimed the judge had a close relationship with McLaren.
Briatore pointed to Marchino's appearance at a McLaren event in Beverly Hills in 2018 and alleged that McLaren had also provided cars to a charity associated with Marchino.
The Alpine executive advisor argued that judges involved in disputes between teams must be completely independent.
He also described Marchino as "very nasty" during the hearing and suggested that his alleged connections with McLaren created a serious concern over impartiality.
Those are serious accusations, and they have not been established as proof that the ruling itself was biased.
McLaren Hits Back
Andrea Stella, sitting alongside Briatore during the press conference, immediately rejected the allegations.
The McLaren team principal described Briatore's comments as insulting to the team and questioned the decision to raise such claims publicly.
Stella insisted that the International Court of Appeal had conducted its hearing to the highest standards and defended the integrity of the process.
The clash created an unusually tense scene ahead of Sunday's Italian Grand Prix, turning what should have been a discussion about racing into a dispute over the FIA's judicial system.
FIA Defends the Process
The FIA's published decision confirms that the appeal was heard in Paris on August 25.
The four-member panel consisted of Michael Grech, Tomas Borec, Luigi Fumagalli and Filippo Marchino.
The FIA states that its International Court of Appeal is an independent jurisdiction with its own administration, separate from the main FIA structure.
The governing body also confirmed that McLaren and Red Bull's appeals were admissible and that the court ultimately set aside the decision that had removed Gasly's penalties.
The FIA has not indicated that the court's decision was affected by any improper relationship.
Alpine's Frustration Goes Beyond Gasly
For Alpine, the consequences extend beyond losing a podium.
The revised Monaco classification changes the team's championship points and hands Racing Bulls an advantage in the constructors' battle.
Gasly's result has also been altered for the third time since the Monaco race itself, an unusual sequence that has kept the controversy alive for months.
Briatore's frustration is therefore understandable from Alpine's perspective, although his allegations have added another layer to an already complicated dispute.
A Controversy That Refuses to Disappear
What began as a pit-lane speeding dispute has now become one of the biggest off-track stories of the Formula 1 weekend.
Gasly has lost his Monaco podium again.
McLaren and Red Bull have won their appeal.
Hadjar has regained third place.
And Briatore has publicly challenged the independence of an FIA judge.
With the Italian Grand Prix now underway, attention will eventually return to the circuit. But the Monaco controversy is clearly not finished yet.
For Formula 1, the biggest concern may be ensuring that future disputes are settled not only correctly, but in a way that leaves no room for questions about the independence of the process.
In this case, the chequered flag fell three months ago. The argument clearly did not.
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